Chapter 73 Finally

Little Ancestor puffed out his cheeks but finally stopped asking whether the chicken was ready. Perhaps he had realized Xue Yao was never going to give him a different answer. He simply hugged his knees and sat quietly beside the fire, watching the wok with complete concentration as Xue Yao poured in a little water and gently stirred everything together. Once the sauce coated every piece of chicken, she placed the lid over the wok and lowered the fire until only a gentle flame remained beneath it.

The clearing slowly grew quiet. The only sounds were the soft crackling of the fire and the gentle bubbling coming from inside the wok. Every now and then, a ribbon of fragrant steam slipped out from beneath the lid and drifted into the cool night air. Even Xue Yao couldn’t help taking a small breath through her nose.

’Mm... that smells pretty good.’ The corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly. ’As expected of me.’ She paused for a moment before clearing her throat. ’No, no. Stay humble.’

Beside her, Little Ancestor sat surprisingly still for almost a full minute before curiosity got the better of him again. His eyes wandered across the neatly arranged ingredients until they landed on one of the small spice jars. Thinking Xue Yao wasn’t paying attention, he quietly picked it up, removed the lid, and carefully sniffed it.

His brows slowly furrowed. "...It doesn’t smell that good."

Without even turning around, Xue Yao reached over, took the jar from his hands, and placed it back where it had been before giving the chicken another gentle stir. "That’s because it’s meant to season the food," she replied. "You’re not supposed to smell the jar."

"...Oh."

Little Ancestor accepted the explanation without question and nodded to himself. He rested his chin on his knees again, but his eyes continued wandering over everything laid out beside the fire.

Xue Yao noticed immediately. ’He’s looking again... Don’t touch anything...’

Almost as though he had heard her thoughts, his hand slowly started reaching toward the bundle of fresh herbs.

"...Don’t."

Little Ancestor froze and slowly looked up at her. "I was only looking."

"You look with your eyes."

He blinked once before glancing down at his own hand. "...Right."

He quietly pulled it back and behaved himself, although his gaze never left the herbs.

Xue Yao almost laughed.

’He’s exactly like Honghong. If it has anything to do with food, neither of them can sit still. At least Honghong is useful, she can fetch the firewood.’

For a while, neither of them spoke. Xue Yao lifted the lid every so often to stir the chicken, letting the fragrant steam roll into the night before covering it again. Little Ancestor watched every movement carefully, as though he were afraid he might miss something important.

After sitting quietly for a while, he finally asked, "...Is cooking always this slow?"

Xue Yao smiled as she stirred the sauce around the chicken. "It depends."

"On what?"

"On whether you want it to taste good."

Little Ancestor thought about that answer seriously before giving a firm nod. "...Then it’s worth waiting."

Xue Yao glanced at him with a small smile. ’That’s unexpectedly sensible.’

Just then, the sound of footsteps drifted through the trees.

Her expression changed immediately.

Without saying a word, she lowered the fire until only a faint glow remained beneath the wok, she grabbed Little Ancestor by the sleeve, and pulled him behind the nearest tree. He stumbled after her and almost knocked one of the spice jars off the stone with his elbow, but Xue Yao caught it just in time. She gave him a warning look and quietly pressed one finger against her lips.

Little Ancestor nodded so quickly his ears flopped.

The footsteps stopped only a short distance away.

"...Did you smell that?" one of the maids asked.

"I did."

"It smells like someone is cooking."

"The Royal Concubine has been forbidden from eating. Who would dare cook for her?"

"...Maybe one of the cooks?"

"They all went back before sunset."

The two maids stood there for another moment, looking around the trees before one of them finally shook her head.

"It must’ve been the wind."

Their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Only after the courtyard became quiet again did Xue Yao slowly let out the breath she had been holding.

"...That was close," Little Ancestor whispered as he scratched the back of his head. "I almost thought I was going to have an heart attack."

"I know," Xue Yao replied, trying not to laugh. She could feel his emotion.

She gave his sleeve a light tug before walking back to the fire. Fortunately, the chicken hadn’t burned. Lifting the lid released another wave of fragrant steam, and after sprinkling in the last of the herbs, she gave everything one final stir.

Little Ancestor swallowed. This time, he waited a few breaths before asking, "...Now is it ready?"

Xue Yao smiled and nodded. "Mhm."

Little Ancestor’s eyes lit up immediately. He bounced to his feet as Xue Yao scooped the chicken into two bowls. Without thinking much about it, she handed him the larger portion before serving herself the smaller one.

Little Ancestor looked down at the bowl in his hands, then back at Xue Yao with obvious surprise. "...You gave me more."

"You’ve been smelling it longer than I have," Xue Yao replied with a grin as she sat down beside the fire. "Besides, you’re still growing."

He accepted the explanation without another word, cradling the warm bowl carefully in both hands before taking a huge bite, ripping the flesh from the drumstick.

The moment the chicken touched his tongue, his wolf ears perked up, and his eyes widened like a saucepan.

Then he hurriedly took another bite.

Xue Yao couldn’t help smiling as she watched him. ’That’s a pretty satisfying reaction.’

"So?" she asked, picking up her own bowl. "How is it?"

Little Ancestor swallowed before looking at her with complete seriousness. "I was right."

"About what?"

"I need to keep you as my personal cook."

Xue Yao laughed. "You still haven’t given up on that?"

"Why would I?" He took another bite before speaking again. "The cooks at home are good... but this is different."

She raised an eyebrow. "...Different how?"

"I don’t know." He frowned thoughtfully as though trying to find the right words. "It tastes... happier."

Xue Yao blinked in surprise, then she burst into laughter. "You can’t taste happiness."

"You can." He argued the while taking another bite.

"No, you can’t." Xue Yao shook her head.

"You can."

She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head with a smile. "...I’m not arguing with you."

The two of them ate quietly for a while, the only sounds beneath the ancient trees coming from the crackling fire and the occasional clink of chopsticks against the bowls.

After finishing another mouthful, Little Ancestor suddenly remembered something. "Don’t forget to wake up early tomorrow. The hunting party leaves before sunrise, and if we’re late, they’ll already be gone."